Research and Education Trainee

Department: Health, Medicine and Science Department

Location : Lausanne, Switzerland 

Contract Type : Trainee (12 months)

Activity Level: 100%

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the guardian of the Olympic Games and the leader of the Olympic Movement. A truly global organisation, it acts as a catalyst for collaboration between all Olympic stakeholders, including athletes, National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Sports Federations (IFs), Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs), Worldwide Olympic Partners and Media Rights-Holders. It also works with public and private authorities, including the United Nations and other international organisations.   

If you are a recent graduate in the field of medicine, sports science or similar, and the vision to build a better world through sports inspires you, this is a unique opportunity to contribute to the Olympic Movement within the IOC. As Research and Education Trainee, your mission will be to support the IOC Health Medicine and Science’s (HMS) department in the implementation and dissemination of various programmes and initiatives. 

Research and Education Trainee’s main responsibilities: 

Support HMS Research, Education and Knowledge Translation

• Support team to assess trends impacting health of athletes and the impact of the various activities and programmes of the department, to evaluate their effectiveness, inform efficient solutions and highlight their strategic importance


• Assist in conducting data-driven/market analysis evaluation of educational offerings including IOC Diploma and Certificate courses, IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport, Advanced Team Physician Courses and other in-person courses


• Assist in department's collaboration with other departments on educational activities, knowledge translation and dissemination of our surveillance results, consensus meetings outcomes, and more


• Assist with the planning and delivery of injury and illness prevention resources for athletes including evaluating the Get Set - Train Smarter injury prevention app and multimedia


• Maintain and continuously improve the IOC HMS webpages to ensure they remain current and effective


• Coordinate the publication of Comms pieces with the IOC Communications Department


• Provide administrative and project support for the IOC’s Mental Health Essentials Train-the-Trainer course, including coordination of materials, participant communication, scheduling, and logistical support throughout the training cycle


• Assist with various other projects and initiatives

Support Olympic Movement stakeholder engagement and collaboration across emerging HMS topics

• Support the department's initiatives and engagements in programmes for public health and increasing physical activity, health and social outcomes in the population, including working with the IOC Olympism365 team, WHO, UN and other.


• Assist in setting the department's AI and data management priorities, including supporting engagement with other departments and Olympic Movement stakeholders, such as International Federations (IF) to align standards and integrate AI into health informatics, anti-doping and diagnostics


• Assist the department with reviewing and implementing AI technology across our work, including coordinating and acting as a contact point with other relevant IOC departments and external stakeholders


• Help the department with IF communication on health topics specific to their sport and informed by the health data in the Games


• Support the Director and other relevant Anti-Doping leads within the IOC with the review and analysis of scientific, health and medical as well as public health trends and policies with the potential to impact the protection of clean athletes


• Support knowledge translation and education for various working groups relating to the health of the athletes in the Games and environmental conditions, such as heat, water and quality, Games optimisations etc


• Support the administration and coordination of mental health and other athlete ambassador programmes, including communication with current ambassadors, assisting with the recruitment of new members, and helping organise regular updates and the annual meeting

Minimum Qualifications:

Education (as a minimum a Bachelor’s degree or similar) in a relevant field such medicine, sports science, health professions, or professional experience deemed equivalent.

Interest or participation in research, education and project management.

Interest or experience in data analytics and/or online education/knowledge translation tools.

Excellent command of cross-functional communication.

Fluent in English (French would be an asset).

Excellent command of corporate tools and compliance with internal usage rules (Microsoft CoPilot and other AI tools, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)

Experience in project management.

Fluent in English. French and/or Spanish is a plus.

Excellent command of corporate tools and compliance with internal usage rules (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).

The successful candidate will be equipped with the following:

Respect the Olympic values and the internal rules of conduct, safeguarding principles and processes and all instructions and procedures in place (i.e. Information Security, Code of Ethics, etc).

Diligence and discretion combined with solid professional ethics.

Passionate about fostering safe and supportive environments for athletes to thrive.

Long-term career vision in safeguarding in sport.

Ability to express ideas clearly and convincingly, both orally and in writing.

Ability to work with a certain degree of independence and efficiency and to adapt to an environment in constant evolution.

Enthusiasm, proactivity and efficiency in performing duties.

Results-oriented and personal commitment to setting and achieving lofty goals.

Come and join an organisation where the spirit of inclusion, gender equality and diversity is embedded in its DNA and which focuses on what unites us – a passion for sport and its values. Work in a flexible and rewarding environment which offers competitive employee benefits and numerous incentives to live a sustainable, healthy and active life. By joining us, you become part of the Olympic Movement and help to build a better world through sport. You will have the opportunity to work with people of more than 70 nationalities.